NUS Faculty of Dentistry researchers clinch prestigious international awards

NUS Faculty of Dentistry researchers clinch prestigious international awards

Assistant Professor Gopu Sriram and Assistant Professor Nileshkumar Dubey from the NUS Faculty of Dentistryhave been honoured with the prestigious International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Awards for their outstanding research. The IADR Awards commemorate scientific excellence in dental, oral, and craniofacial research with the aim of enhancing the health and well-being of people globally.

Asst Prof Sriram received the IADR Periodontal Research Group Award for innovative approaches to the prevention and non-surgical treatment of periodontal and peri-implant diseases; a group of very common diseases affecting tissues surrounding teeth or surrounding the dental implants that replace missing teeth. The award acknowledges his team's recent breakthroughs in applying microfluidic organ-on-chip technologies to periodontal research and, notably, for creating the first 'gingival crevice-on-chip' and 'gingiva-on-chip' devices that were published in the journal, Advanced Healthcare Materialsin 2023.

The miniature 'gingival crevice-on-chip' and 'gingiva-on-chip' devices, ranging in size from a thumb drive to a credit card, replicate gum tissues in the laboratory. Asst Prof Sriram and his team use these devices to explore interactions among gum tissues, bacteria (both healthy and disease-producing), and oral-care products like mouthwash. By studying bacterial invasion into gum tissues and blood vessels, they uncover links between periodontal disease and systemic disorders like cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic diseases.

Additionally, Asst Prof Sriram who is affiliated with the NUS Department of Biomedical Engineeringis at the forefront of developing microfluidic organ-on-chip systems for dental, oral, and craniofacial research. Combining his expertise in dentistry and biomedical engineering, he has pioneered the use of microfluidic platforms as viable alternatives to animal testing making significant strides in dental research.

"The IADR Periodontal Research Group Award is a testament to our team's dedication towards advancing periodontal and peri-implant disease prevention and treatment. Our breakthroughs in microfluidic organ-on-chip technologies have the potential to revolutionise dental research by providing more physiologically relevant models for studying oral diseases, advancing drug discovery, and improving our understanding of oral health and disease mechanisms," Asst Prof Sriram shared.

Asst Prof Nileshkumar Dubey clinched 2nd place in the IADR Joseph Lister Award for New Investigators, which recognises new researchers who contribute to fields of oral disease prevention or oral health promotion. Among 10 finalists from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Asia-Pacific, Asst Prof Dubey distinguished himself for his research on the development of a novel hybrid bioink for use in dental tissue engineering and nanomedicine, such as regenerating teeth, bone, and gum tissue.

Conventional nanocomposite bioink used for dental regeneration contains gold, but our bodies quickly remove it, making it less effective for tissue repair. Asst Prof Dubey's team created a new type of material using safe gold particles coated with a special substance and put into a gel. These new materials can be easily 3D printed, stay stable, and are suitable for loading with biomolecules in applications related to tissue engineering of oral and craniofacial regions.

Asst Prof Dubey shared, "The IADR Joseph Lister Award for New Investigators is a tremendous honour. This is a great encouragement for me and my team to pursue cutting-edge research that will eventually benefit patients with dental and craniomaxillofacial traumatic injuries and bone defects."